Machine for cutting sheet material



Det. 7' y Q24- F. DUNCAN MACHlNE FOR CUT'IIG SHEET MATERIAL Filed Jan. 50, 1924 Fig. 3.

CII

Patented @et 7, i924.

isi-rta UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK DUNCAN, Oil? PERFH, 'EYES-TEEN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALA, ASSXGNOR TG UNITED SHOE MACHXNEEY CORFORTIOII, 0F PATERSGN, NEVJ JERSEY, A GOR- PORATION OF NEV JERSEY.

TJIACHINE FOR CUTTNG- SHEET MATERAL.

Application filed January 30, 1924. Serial No. 689,470.

T aZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, Fnnnnnrcir DUNCAN, a subject of the King o-f England, residing at Perth, in the State of lWestern Australia, Australia, have invented certain improvements in Machines for Cut-ting Sheet Ma,

teria-l, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

rlhis invention relates to machines for cutting sheet material, such as leather, and more particularly for slitting a piece of such material inwardly any desired distance from an edge of the material so as to provide a fringed portion along a selected margin thereof.

It is an object of the invention to provide a machine for the purpose described which shall be especially simple in construction, efficient in operation, and require the very minimum of power in its operation so that it may, if desired, be entirely hand operated.

In the illustrative machine a movable support is provided for pressing the material against a cutting cylinder, the cutters of which extend longitudinally of the cylindrical surface in such manner that one end of each cutter is substantially in advance of its own other end. Preferably, the movable support mentioned is embodied as a roller having its axis parallel with the axis of the cutting cylinder, the roller being preferably so mounted that it may tip in the plane defined by the two axes. Because of the arrangement of the cutters on the cutting cylinder the sheet material engaged thereby not only has slits or cuts formed therein but is moved along and properly fed for the operationL of the successive cutters on the cutting cylinder. Furthermore, by reason of the spiralled arrangement of the cutters on the surface of the cutting cylinder, the point of contact of each cutter with the supporting roller is transferred progressively from one end to the other end of each cutter so that the cut in the material is a shearing cut, whereby perfect cuttingl of the material takes place with the expenditure of a minimum of power. Preferably, and as shown, the supporting roll is mounted in a yoke member which is conlined to movement in the plane defined by the axes of the cutting cylinder and of the roller, and means is provided for adjusting the yoke member in a vertical direction. Convenient-ly, the yoke member for supporting the roller is provided with a screw threaded member for adjusting the yoke vertically, which member also serves as a pivotal support for the yoke member. In the illustrative machine, the cylinder and the roller are so mounted that a piecek of work that is considerably wider than the axial length of the cylinder may be fed between the cylinder and the roller and fringed only along a marginal portion thereof.

Other features of the invention and other novel combinations of parts will be described in the detailed specification and pointed out in the appended claims.

ln the drawings,

`Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a. detail view looking from the left in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is ay sectional view taken transversely through the machine and looking toward the front thereof.

ln the illustrated machine there is provided a bearing 6 in the machine frame 8 for a shaft 10, the said frame having an overhanging portion or arm 12 which carries atits front end a second bearing 14 for the shaft 10. Preferably, and as shown, the bearing 14l is removably attached to the arm l2 by means of a bolt 16 which passes through an open slot 17 in the end of the arm 12 so that, by slackening the nut on the bolt, the bearing 14 may be removed for a purpose that will be hereinafter described. Keyed to the shaft to rotate therewith is a cylinder or roller 20, the said cylinder taking up all of the space between the near end of the bearing 14 and a bearing surface.

22 on the frame 8. Mounted on the cylindrical surface of the roller or formed integrally therewith are the cutters 24 which extend the whole length of the cylinder.

l/hile the cutters extend in the general direction of the length of the cylinder so as to run nearly parallel to the axis thereof they are, in fact, not parallel with the axis but'arranged atan inclination to a plane passing through the axis, one end of each cutter being, preferably though not necesnel with the body of the material so that a fringe is formed along one edge thereof. Upon removal of the bearing 14, the cutting cylinder may be removed from its shaft l() for grinding to sharpen the cutters or for replacement thereof.

F or co-operation with the cutting element there is provided means for pressing the work against the cutters to effect the cutting operation and to assist in feeding the work. In the illustrative construction this means is lshown as a roller 26 with a plain cylindrical surface, the said roller being of the same length as the cutting cylinder but being preferably of a considerably larger diameter.' For supporting the roller 26, with its axis in the same vertical plane as the axis of the cylinder 20, there is provided a yoke 28 which is U-shaped, whereby two arms 30 are provided, each with a bearing 32 in its upper' end for the trunnion 34 of the roller 26, the construction providing an arrangement by which :the roller 26 may be readily placed in position or removed therefrom, as occasion may require. As shown, the yoke 28 is of a size in the transverse direction to fit snugly into its holder which comprises, in part, a plate 86 preferably Iintegral with the frame 8 and a plate 38 which may be removably secured by screws 39 to the frame and which co-operates with the plate or side 86 to hold theyoke against lateral movement. Preferably, and as shown, the yoke 28 may move in the plane of the axisof ythe roller 36, this being possible since the recess or space 40 between lthe plates 36 and 38 is larger in the direction from front to rear ofthe machine than is the yoke 28. Supporting the yoke 28, at a single point disposed midway bctween its two bearings for the roller 26, is a bolt 42 screw threaded through the lower part `of the yoke and engaging with the bottom of the frame within the recess 40. Upon the "lower end of this bolt 42 the yoke 28 may rock so that the roller 26 may tip from front Eto rear along its own axis. As a practical smatter, .there will be very little tipping movement and whatever does take place will be -due to variations in the thickness ofthe worlk passing between the rollers. Conveniently falso the bolt 42 may be Arotated to adjust the yoke in a vertical direct-ion so that the roller `26 may be made to approach closer to or to recede from .the axis of the cylinder 20 as the cutters are worn down. With one bolt 42 for adjustment, the yoke `28 becomes an equalize-r, whereas if two spaced adjusting bolts 42 were used great care 'would have to be exercised to adjust them equally. lf desired a spring may be provided between the lower end of the bolt 42 and the lower wall of the recess 40, thereby providing for a yielding pressure upon the work between the roller 26 and the cylinder 20. The cutters 24 are shaped to gash the margin of the piece of material and so fringe it without the removal of any material therefrom. The cutters as already described are slightly spiralled all in the same direction on the surface of the cylinder. Owing to this arrangement of each cutter and the rocking action of the plain roller, the cutting edge of each cutter, as the rollers rotate, comes into contact with the plain roller first at one end and such contact then travels along to the other end, thus providing a shearing action in the cutting or slitting operations.

F or supporting and guiding .the work into position between the roller 26 and the cylinder 2O there is provided a table 52 carried by the side plates 36, 88. Mounted on the table is an edge gage 54 arranged to be secured to the table by means of a bolt 56 and awinged nut 58, the -bolt passing through an opening in a flat portion of the gage 54 and through a slot in the table 52 extending in a direction parallel with the axis of the cylinder 20. In other words, the gage 54 is movable for adjustmentin a direction toward yand `from the front of the machine so that lthe operator may decide upon the length of the slits in the fringe to be cut by the cutting cylinder and may then secure .t'hegage in adjusted position where it will serve to secure uniformity in the length of the fringed portion produced by the cutting operations.

Means is preferably `provided for guiding the work in co-operation with the table 52 into proper relation .to :the .cutting means. ln `the construction shown this means comprises a guide member 60, formed conveniently of :thin springy steel, ,and having upturned or rouncledtends alt each end of va plate portion 64 supported in parallel relation with respectfto the 'table This member 60, 64 may `also operate as a presser foot to keep the work smoothed .out inv extended condition. Conveniently, the presser foot 60 is supported adjustably on the bearing 14, the presser foot having an npwardextension 66 provided with a laterally extending arm 68 adapted to be adjustably secured to the sidevof the lbearing 14 by means of a winged set screw E0 passing through an. elongated slot 7l in Ithe arm 68.y

lVhile the shaft l0 inthe illustrative construction lis arranged to be rotated ,through a hand lever 72 secured to the one endof the shaft, it is obvious that a power pulley -or other power means may be used tto cause rotation of the sha-ft, -under the control of :the

or other `material is fed over the table 52 by hand until it is engaged between the roller 2G and the cutting cylinder 20, the depth of the fringe being determined by the position of the edge gage 54. As each cutter 24 enters the material the latter is moved along between the supporting roller and the cutting roller by reason of the fact 4that the cutters are arranged so that one end, namely the forward end, enters the material and gradually transfers the point of contact from the front end to the rear end of each cutter. Another advantage of this construction resides in the fact that the cut is a shearing cut so that considerably less power is required than would be the case if the entire length or any considerable part of the blade had to be forced at once through the material. Since the cutters extend in the general direction of the length of the cylinder and in such a way that one end of each cutter is a little more than the space between the cut.

ters angularly in advance of the other end of the same cutter it will be clear that upon rotation of the cutting cylinder the material will be advanced or fed through the cutting field simultaneously with the operation of each individual cutter. Moreover, before one cutter is Withdrawn at the rear of the cylinder another cutter has already entered at the forward end of the cutting cylinder and hence the feeding of the. material is controlled and maintained in a straight path. It will be clear then, that the gage 54 is useful in positioning the material preliminarily to its entrance between the cutting and supporting rollers. As the material passes between the rollers and is cut by the bladed roll, the severed strips are pressedinto the spaces between adjacent blades or cutters and are thereby molded somewhat to the shape of the spaces which gives a pleasing iinish to the fringe. If desired, the spaces between the cutters on the upper roller or cylinder may be partly or entirely filled with india-rubber in order to prevent the leather strips from being retained therein and carried around with the cylinder. This may be necessary with cert-ain kinds of leather though the same object may be attained by selection of an appropriate cross-sectional formation of the cutters.

lVhile the machine is particularly useful in fringing operations upon leather or other likefmaterial, it is obvious that it may be used for other purposes such as the stripping of relatively narrow sheets of material, each strip being entirely severed from the body of the sheet so that the latter may be ultimately convertedinto strips of uniform length and width.

Having described my invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is l. In a machine of the character described,

a cutting cylinder for making cuts in sheet material, a roller for co-operation with the cutting cylinder to assist in cutting and in feeding the material, said cutting cylinder having its cutters extending nearly parallel with the axis of the cylinder with each blade so arranged that one end thereof is considerably in advance of its other end, and mountings for the cylinder and the roller so arranged that relative tipping movement may take place between. the latter in the plane defined by their axes.

2. In a machine of the class described, a cutting cylinder having cutters slightly spiralled longitudinally of its cylindrical surface, a roller for co-operation with the cutting cylinder in cutting and feeding the material, and means for supporting the roller so that the latter may tip freely in the plane of the axis of the roller.

3. In a machine of the character described, a cutting cylinder having cutters slightly spiralled longitudinally of the cylindrical surface of the cylinder, a roller for co-operation with the cutting cylinder, a yoke for supporting the roller, and means for supporting and guiding the yoke so that the latter may tip freely to provide bodily movement of the roller in a plane passing through the axes of the cutting cylinder and roller.

4. In a machine of the character described, a cutting cylinder having cutters slightly spiralled longitudinally of its cylindrical surface, a roller for co-operation with the cylinder, a supporting member for the roller, means for confining the supporting member to movement in the plane of the axes of the cylinder and the roller, and a central pivotal support for the member so that the roller may tip freely in the described plane.

5. In a machine of the class described, a cutting cylinder having cutters extending longitudinally of its cylindrical surface, a roller arranged for co-operation with the cutting cylinder, a yoke member for supporting the roller, said yoke member being confined to limited movement in a plane defined by the axes of the cutting cylinder and the roller, and a screw threaded member serving as a means for adjusting the yoke member in a vertical direction and also as a pivotal support for the yoke member whereby the latter may tip freely within limits.

6. In a machine of the character described, a support for sheet material, and a cutting cylinder having cutters for making slits in the material, said cutters being arranged on the cylinder to extend longitudi nally thereof nearly parallel with the axis of the cylinder and'in such manner that one end of one cutter overlaps the opposite end of the next adjacent cutter, whereby two cutters maintain contact with the llO material at spacedf points to assist in4 feeding vthe saine 1n a straight line extending transversely ofthe cylinder.

.7. In a' inachine of the character de-l assist in cutting and in feeding the material,

said Cutting oylinder having cutters extending longitudinally of the cylinder nearly parallel With the axis thereof but With each blade so arranged that one end lthereof isl in advance of its other end, and means for supporting the cylinder and roll so that a piece of Work niay be fed between the Cylinder and roller and fringed along only a marginal portion thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed niy naine to this specification. Y

FREDERICK DUNCAN. 

